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Summary

Colonial Marines acts as a true sequel to James Camerons 1986 epic, Aliens. You return to the cursed human colony Hadleys Hope as the member of an unfortunate space squad - from the opening sequence your character is awakened from cryosleep to find that your ship is losing control.

With no way to regain command of the exploding vessel, your team crash lands onto Archeron - also known as planet LV-426, where the events of the Aliens movie transpired several months before. As you explore a dilapidated research centre on the destroyed colony, you discover Xenos trapped in jars, along with evidence of some foul play. Your squad knows nothing of the real horror that took place at Hadleys Hope, but torn-open security doors and scurrying sounds give something of a harrowing clue. And you know, just KNOW, that sooner rather than later you're going to have a lot of shooting to do...

Developer Gearbox has placed a lot of emphasis on the building of tension. There's an atmosphere you could cut with a barbed xenomorph tail, crafted from carefully orchestrated sound effects and eerie lighting. When the xenomorphs come for you, though, they come fast and hard. In true Gearbox style, there are lots of collectibles to be had and lots of tools at your disposal, from weapons to turrets to... yes, the power loader.

Gearbox has had a little fun with the license elsewhere, too - look for new types of Alien species. The first one you encounter is known as the Crusher - it looks like a giant version of your typical Xenomorph, but with a huge flat head that acts as both battering ram and heavy-duty armour. With no way to truly kill it, your only option is to run away to an abandoned armour facility and lock down the doors.

In addition to the single-player mode, there's co-op for up to four players and a competitive multiplayer mode in which you can even play as one of the xenomorphs.